


Healing Shadows (Bright as Night)

by TippierCoffee



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan, The Trials of Apollo - Rick Riordan
Genre: Adding tags and characters as I progress, Banter, Canon Compliant, Dr. Solace is in the house, Flirting, Getting Together, Getting to know you, M/M, Nico crushes anyway, Nico is trying not to crush, Opening Up, Will crushes too so it's okay, canoe date, doctor's notes, shadow travelling, three days in the infirmary, three legged death race
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-03-14
Packaged: 2019-10-09 01:56:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17397866
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TippierCoffee/pseuds/TippierCoffee
Summary: What happened in the infirmary, and how did Will and Nico get together?These, and other canon-compliant stories.





	1. Pale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skin: Somewhat pale, but present.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not own—nor do I claim the rights to—the Percy Jackson universe or any of its characters. All credit goes to rightful owner: Mr. Rick Riordan.  
> Enjoy :)

 

 

 

> Nico studied his face – his sea-green eyes, his grin, his ruffled black hair. Somehow Percy Jackson seemed like a regular guy now, not a mythical figure. Not someone to idolise or crush on.
> 
> “So,” Nico said, “since we’re going to be spending at least a year seeing each other at camp, I think I should clear the air.”
> 
> Percy’s smile wavered. “What do you mean?”
> 
> “For a long time,” Nico said, “I had a crush on you. I just wanted you to know.”
> 
> Percy looked at Nico. Then at Annabeth, as if to check that he’d heard correctly. Then back at Nico. “You—“
> 
> “Yeah,” Nico said. “You’re a great person. But I’m over that. I’m happy for you guys.”
> 
> “You… so you mean—“
> 
> “Right.”
> 
> Annabeth’s grey eyes started to sparkle. She gave Nico a sideways smile.
> 
> “Wait,” Percy said. “So you mean—“
> 
> “Right,” Nico said again. “But it’s cool. We’re cool. I mean, I see now… you’re cute, but you’re not my type.”
> 
> “I’m not your type… Wait. So—“
> 
> “See you around, Percy,” Nico said. “Annabeth.”
> 
> She raised her hand for a high five.
> 
> Nico obliged. Then he walked back across the green, to where Will Solace was waiting.
> 
> ((Riordan, 2015, pp.486). _The Heroes of Olympus: The Blood of Olympus_. Great Britain: Puffin Books)

There was a new lightness to his step he hadn’t experienced in a long time. Last must have been when he was around ten, when Bianca was still with him and he pranced around camp, cards and figurines hidden in his pockets, ready to be brought out first chance possible. Whether he’d needed to tell Percy, he wasn’t sure, he just knew he had, and it made a world of difference. And maybe this could be the first step of many. Or second, if staying at Camp Half-Blood was the first.

Will Solace stood, leaning against the infirmary, arms crossed over his surgeon’s shirt, legs crossed at the ankles. One of his flip flops had practically fallen off his foot, which didn’t seem to bother him at all. His eyebrows were quirked, lips pursed in what might be curiosity.

“See?” Nico said. “Told you I’d be right back.”

“Did I ever say I doubted you?” Will asked, his lip quirking up in half a smile, and it stirred those skeletal butterflies once more.

“So, three days?” Will gave a nod. “Is there a plan for what’s going to happen, or?”

“You’re going to rest, di Angelo. As in sleep for twelve hours, get nectar and ambrosia, and heal. You overused your powers in that war and oversaw the burial rites right after. So, no underworldly powers. This time I’m extra serious.”

Nico gave a snort, rolling his eyes. Of course Will Solace—who usually seemed nonthreatening and laid back—was an actual pain in the neck, and unbelievably stubborn. Nico followed him inside regardless, staying right behind Will Solace. There were a few things he noticed, now he didn’t have a war going on around him. Like the fact that Will Solace must be at least a head taller than himself. His body was so relaxed, it made Nico feel safe, which was an odd concept in itself.

The infirmary smelled almost as sterile as an actual hospital, but there was an undertone of something else Nico couldn’t quite place. Something summery that reminded of the strawberry fields, if just a bit different. Even stranger, the scent wasn’t unpleasant, and the air was warm without being suffocating, winds rolling in through the open windows.

Will lead him to a bed near the windows. In the ceiling, tracks with curtains hung. The tracks circled each bed, so it wasn’t hard to guess they were for privacy reasons, which Nico appreciated greatly. He might have decided to take some important first steps and give camp a legitimate chance this time around, but that didn’t mean he was eager to be visible to everyone and their grandmother while sleeping.

Will stopped in front of him and nodded to the bed dressed in white linen. The smile stayed on Will’s lips, and his eyes twinkled with something Nico could only describe as kindness, and it kept doing weird things to him.

“This is where you’ll be stationed for the next three days,” Will informed him. “We have standard issue patient wear. Cotton trousers and a button-up T-shirt. I need to know your size. Keep in mind our clothes are unisex.”

“Uni-what?”

“Unisex. It’s made to fit men and women alike. So, what’s your size, di Angelo?”

“I—” Nico quirked his eyebrow and looked at his body. Thin and practically transparent. “Small?”

“Seems right,” Will smiled then turned on his heel. “I’ll go get a set for you.”

Will left, and Nico unclasped his sword from his hip, and put it against the bed, within reach if he would need it. He doubted he would, seeing as things had calmed down significantly. Still, he was a demigod, and demigods should always be on their toes.

“Here you go,” Will smiled, handing Nico a set of white infirmary wear. He wasn’t sure he exactly liked it, but it was ten times better than that god-awful Hawaiian shirt. He accepted the set and tried not to pay too much attention to his hands brushing Will’s. “I’ll close the curtains, then. Let me know when you’re done.”

Nico gave a nod, waited for Will to draw the curtains around his bed, and got changed into the trousers and T-shirt. They sat loosely around his body, the fabric comfortable and soft. Although it made him look almost luminescent, and it smelled like rubbing alcohol. When he was done, he drew the curtains again and nearly jumped out of his skin from how close Will was. He wore a patient smile on his lips.

“Nice to see you cooperate, Gloom and Doom.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“What can I call you then?” Will’s lip quirked a bit.

“My name?” Nico rolled his eyes. “It’s not even difficult, Solace. Four letters, two syllables: Nico.”

“Gotcha’” Will gave a wink and fished out a clipboard from gods knew where. “So, let’s just get your name down on this, and then we’ll take care of medical history tomorrow, because you really just need to rest today. So, Nico di Angelo, spell it for me?”

“It’s not that hard,” Nico rolled his eyes, leaning back on the pillow, his eyelids already drooping. This mattress was really comfortable.

“I need to ask regardless,” Will smiled. “Just, please cooperate some more, then I promise you can sleep for twelve hours without me bothering you. Except for meal time. Can’t have you starvin’ in here under my care.”

Nico gave a sigh. “Capital N, small I-C-O, small D-I, capital A, small N-G-E-L-O. Done.”

“I am most thankful, di Angelo,” Will teased, fishing for something in his pockets. “Now, this is a pill that blocks out dreams. I’ll leave it on your bedside dresser, _but_ , do not take it unless you have a nightmare. These are no laughing matter. I trust you can see to using them wisely on your own.”

“Good to know there’s a brain in there,” Nico deadpanned, looking Will straight in the eyes.

Will looked frozen for a moment, deer-caught-in-the-headlights, then he let out a snort and a chuckle. “Cynical. I like it. But be careful, di Angelo. Two can play that game.”

“I’m sure, Solace,” Nico muttered, leaning back and closing his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reminder: I do not have a fixed update schedule, but I aim to finish what I start.  
> Criticism and/or advice on improvement is always welcome and highly appreciated.


	2. Shots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Statistically, 9 out of 10 injections are in vein.

When Nico woke again, he still felt groggy. His head was pounding, his mouth was dry, and his shoulders burned. He felt disoriented, not sure what day it was or how long had passed. He had some vague memories of eating a few meals, although he couldn’t remember how many, and something about Will redoing Reyna’s hasty stitches. There might have been a syringe involved, but even that was unclear. It might as well have been a dream.

The pill Will gave him for nightmares was still sitting in its container on the bedside table, next to a glass of water and a glass of something else with a luminescent blue colour. Nico had no idea what that was, and he wasn’t sure he wanted to know. It didn’t exactly look safe to him.

His curtains rustled, and he struggled to sit up, his shoulders burning worse when he used his arms to support himself. He made it to an upright position, just as Will entered. He had Nico’s clipboard in his hand, a worried frown on his face, and a pen he kept clicking.

“Hey,” Nico greeted, his voice raspy and raw.

Will looked up, first confused, then he smiled. “Why hello.” He walked over to a chair Nico hadn’t even noticed and sat down. There was a box full of syringes and what looked to be blood tests on a small trolley-table next to Will’s chair. “I’m sorry for the mess. Few campers were messing with the lava wall when I did tests on you, and then I had to leave everything here.”

“Anything in particular you were testing me for?” Nico asked, looking at the vials of his blood with disinterest.

“Well, Reyna said the scratches on your shoulders came from Lycaon, so I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t gotten some sort of tetanus infection. Hopefully the shot I gave you should help, along with the antibiotics and nectar. You were really out of it yesterday.”

“I’ve been out for a whole day?”

Will nodded. “You were practically eating in your sleep as well. I’m surprised you slept though the re-stitching though. I appreciate Reyna had to rush, and even a healer in a rush would have made a terrible patch work, but it was awful. The new stitches I gave you should hold. I also gave it a healing session to see if I can somehow force it to close, so you don’t have to have permanent stitches on your arms. I still need to see the results of your blood tests, to make sure there are no infections, and then we need to figure out if you’re up to date with your shots.”

“My shots?”

“Vaccines,” Will looked at him with gentle eyes. “I gave you your tetanus shot yesterday, so that’s taken care of. I monitored you as well, for a reaction, since some do react. You had nothing, so that’s good news for me.”

“So…” Nico looked at the trolley-table with all the syringes. “You’re going to stab me all day today, or?”

Will chuckled and put the clipboard in his lap. “I would hardly call it stabbing. It might be uncomfortable, but it doesn’t really hurt. Unless you have a low pain-threshold, which, I doubt you have. Sleeping through those stitches made me worried you’re numb to pain, which is not as good a thing as people hype it up to be.”

“I’m not numb to pain.” Nico said, taking a sip of water to help his dry mouth and throat. “I just know how to push it aside, because I’ve had to for so long.”

“High threshold,” Will commented. “I wouldn’t worry at all, then.” He put the clipboard on the trolley-table and moved his chair closer to Nico. “So. Tell me, di Angelo, are you up to date on your vaccines?”

Nico raised an eyebrow. “Solace. I’ve been running odd errands for my father since I was around eleven. When would I have had the time to get vaccines?”

Will sighed and shook his head. “Yeah. I had a feeling you would say that. Let’s get down your history then, see if we can remember the last time you got vaccinated, if you indeed ever were vaccinated.” He clicked his pen and started noting down. “Date and year of birth?”

Nico sighed. “Is that really necessary?”

Will looked at him with steely eyes, and Nico felt his stomach flip. “Yes. Date and year, di Angelo.”

“Right…” Nico cleared his throat. “Twenty-eight of January. Nineteen thirty-two.”

“Thirty-two,” Will whistled, low and mock-impressed, but at least not the same shrill as when they were all fighting. “You’re older than my grandpa.”

“Har, har, you’re incredibly funny, Solace.”

“What? You’re saying I shouldn’t write ninety as your age here?”

“I’m fourteen, you moron.”

“Fourteen from thirty-two? You must have found the fountain of youth, then. Is that a secret you’re willing to share? I don’t think I’d look good with grey hair.”

“I don’t think you’re supposed to look good with grey hair, Solace.”

Will looked up with a teasing smile. “I mean… People say George Clooney is quite handsome, exactly because of his grey hair. I believe they call him a _Silver Fox_.”

“Silver fox?”

“Yeah.” Will looked at him curiously. “Have you never heard that saying? _You_ _’re a fox_.”

Nico shook his head. “I haven’t. And what an odd thing to say. Why would anyone call someone a fox?”

“As a synonym for hot.” When Nico raised his eyebrow, Will rolled his eyes. “You know. Good-looking, easy on the eye, smashing, fine. Whatever else it’s been called by now.”

“Aren’t foxes usually known for being sly though?”

“And pretty.” Will noted. “Symbols of being rich.”

“Having a fox means you’re rich?”

“Having a fox’s fur, good sir.” Nico wrinkled is nose. “I, personally, prefer polyester, but that might just be me. Anyhow, born in thirty-two, sporting fourteen years of age. What’s the secret?”

“Lotus Casino and Hotel.” Nico repositioned himself a little to sit more comfortably. “Time doesn’t really work in there, and it has this allure that makes you never want to leave. Bianca and I thought we were there for about two weeks and came out decades later.”

Will scribbled and scribbled. “So the fountain of youth is called Lotus Casino and Hotel, but definitely don’t go there. Do you remember ever being vaccinated? Wait. Were vaccines even accessible in the thirties?”

Nico sighed. “We had the tetanus shot, if that’s what you mean.”

Will looked about ready to choke. “Oh yeah! How could I forget? Duh. Germ theory was like, a hundred years old by then, of course you didn’t have as much stuff as we do now. I guess I should just give you the whole deal.” He took a small handbook from his trolley-table and flipped through it. “Let’s see. Since you already got the tetanus one, we might as well give the whole Tdap package.”

“T-what?”

“Tdap. Tetanus, Diphtheria, Pertussis. Meningococcal would probably also be a good idea.”

“I have no idea what you’re on about, but if you think it might be helpful.”

Will looked up from his book, a serious gleam in his eyes. “Helpful? It is necessary!”

“Really?”

“Of course it is! Do you want to spread the plague around camp? Honestly.”

“Okay, okay. Just asking.” Nico looked curiously at the syringes. “How does it work?”

“Well, basically what happens is, there are a couple of practically-dead, or all-dead, bacteria in these liquids. These bacteria are the diseases. Your cells latch onto the bacteria to learn and store their codes, thereby creating antibodies to fight of the bacteria. Then, your cells remember the codes, so if you ever come in contact with any of these bacteria again, your body will fight them off quite beautifully. Bye-bye disease.”

“I see.”

“Wait.” Will flipped through his book. ”Dear gods above. You weren’t vaccinated as a child either, were you? Except for tetanus?”

“That’s what I just said.”

“Nico.” Will took a hold of his wrist, probably to check his pulse, but he didn’t let go, and Nico felt too stunned to pull away. “I can’t justify giving you all the vaccines in one go at your state. We’ll do Tdap and meningococcal today. Then in a week or two, you’re coming back here for all the childhood vaccines.”

Nico blinked. “O…kay?”

“It’s important,” Will insisted, and he looked quite serious about it as well. Like Nico was a ticking time-bomb that’d explode at any moment.

“Okay, okay. Whatever you say, Solace. As long as I’m allowed to eat something. I’m starving.”

“You may eat and drink. I will monitor you. Don’t worry.” He picked up a syringe, and Nico felt a bit uneasy.

“Wait… You do know what you’re doing. Right, Solace?”

Will rolled his eyes. “Oh, please, di Angelo. I do this all the time. Chiron taught me.”

Will disinfected his hands and Nico’s skin. He found a spot on Nico’s arm that seemed to satisfy him, took a syringe and drew in whatever liquid he needed, then pricked Nico. Nico looked curiously as the liquid disappeared somewhere, expecting to feel some level of discomfort, but the most he felt was a short-lived chill where Will injected him.

Will repeated the process on another patch of skin and made sure to wipe and cleanse and throw needles away after use. Really, he was quite thorough with sterilising everything, which, honestly clashed with his shorts and flip-flops. That had to go for a full surgeon’s set, rather than just the shirt. Maybe Nico could get him a set, or something. As a thank-you-gift for everything he did. Healing his wounds, re-stitching his shoulders, monitoring him, calling him out when he needed to be called out, and the vaccine thing, even if Nico wasn’t all caught up with what that was about yet.

“Alright,” Will said, looking satisfied and much less worried about Nico’s vaccine status. “Lunch is soon, so I’ll get you some fruits for now.” He nodded to the poisonous-looking blue drink Nico had yet to touch. “Have some Gatorade. It’s full of electrolytes. Very good for rebuilding energy and salt-and-sugar levels, which, honestly, you definitely need. You are so vitamin-deficient I could cry.”

Nico rolled his eyes. “Whatever, Solace.” He eyed the Gatorade suspiciously. It really didn’t look like something that could be good for him. He could feel Will glaring at him and took a deep breath before drinking some of the Gatorade. “Huh… Not that bad.”

“What? You thought I was going to give you something awful?”

“After giving me that tar-gum? Yes. Absolutely.”

“You’re welcome for keeping you upright,” Will said, then turned on his heels. He was back in less than five minutes with a fruit tray. “Eat this while you wait for lunch. I’ll go check on the lava-wall-idiots.”

He pulled Nico’s curtains closed when he left again, and Nico’s heart was racing. It almost felt like it wanted to escape his chest and chase Will Solace, and Nico was not in the mood to deal with another one-sided crush right now. So instead, he ate his fruits and tried to ignore the burning stitches.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been in such a slump lately, so it’s really nice to be writing again.


End file.
